LAVAL, QC and NEW YORK, NY – The original Gristedes location first opened its doors in 1888 in New York City. The group was known for its meat department and its early adoption of innovative methods of operating.
The group had a dynamic trajectory all the way up through the 1970’s and early 1980’s. At the same time in the New York City market, Red Apple supermarkets was growing in prominence, led by enterprising entrepreneur John Catsimatidis. The historic and reputable Gristedes chain was acquired in 1986 by John’s Red Apple Group.
The parent company, led by John, dominates the grocery, gas, media and real estate landscapes throughout the country, with such businesses as United Refining Company, Kwik Fill, WABC and others among its portfolio. Still today, Gristedes remains a part of Red Apple Group and a mainstay in many New Yorkers’ lives.
In 2016, the company purchased D’Agostino’s, adding 10 locations and a historic New York City supermarket banner to its portfolio. The collective supermarket chain is called New York Food Group, encompassing the two iconic banners, and this group is an industry trend setter as well as a highly impactful organization within the communities in which they serve.
Gristedes, D’Agostino’s and its parent company, Red Apple Group, have raised millions of dollars for Tunnel to Towers. This organization helps provide mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children. In addition, it builds custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders.
Along with this cause, the company is also dedicated to eradicating veteran homelessness and aiding the victims of major U.S. disasters. Red Apple Group and New York Food Group not only do great work within their communities and for the causes that are important to them; they also do great work internally and continually raise the bar in terms of improving their own operations.
Staying ahead of technology has been a priority for Gristedes. Speaking with Joe Parisi, president and COO of New York Food Group, he said, “Sometimes technology is front and center and visible, other times it is the core foundation updates that just make the customer experience the best it can be. Joe is talking of a recent point-of-sale upgrade across all stores, including approximately 160 lanes. “Working with STCR when planning this upgrade has made the difference; we know that they are there when we need them.”
Farrell McKenna, VP of operations at STCR, said, “When looking at a project this large, we take the time to plan and work with the retailer so that their customers are not affected. This is the most important factor at the end of the day.”
The Gristedes team uses LOC Software at their enterprise and store locations for their back office and point of sale needs. “The flexibility of LOC Software at the host allows us to stay competitive in the New York City market,” Parisi said.
“We have started to take advantage of LOC’s latest eSuite offer, which will lead us to the next level. We can streamline processes and get the data we need, more importantly, when we need it. In this fast-moving market, we need the ability to make decisions quickly, and our reporting tools with eSuite empower our team.”
To continue to take advantage of technology, they have made significant headway on many aspects of their organization using the tools and integrations that LOC Software and STCR provide, such as updating scales to ensure that customers have complete visibility to ingredient, allergen and safety information – additionally taking a look at ordering processes and implementing direct store delivery.
“When we first started this project, all stores were working independently, so there was a lot of data cleanup that had to happen. We got STCR involved, and the team was able to create imports and help us standardize our enterprise data. We collaborated with STCR several times a week. It was a team effort all the way,” Parisi said.
McKenna agreed, “We are excited to see the Gristedes group continue to evolve and grow into LOC Software’s solutions. They have always been trailblazers in the industry, and we are proud to partner with them.”
For more information about Gristedes Supermarkets, visit gristedessupermarkets.com.
For more information about STCR, visit stcr.com.
For more information about LOC Software, visit locsoftware.com.
